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Dog mauls owners after they tried to put sweater on him

Dog stabbed, shot, tazed and tranquilized
Posted at 2:51 PM, Dec 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-31 23:07:13-05

Three people were injured after police said their dog attacked them when they tried to dress him in a sweater.

According to Tampa Police, a pit bull mix named Scarface bit its owner and two other family members at a home in Tampa on Friday afternoon.

Tampa Police said 52-year-old Brenda Guerrero tried to put a sweater on the dog when he attacked. Her husband, 46-year-old Ismael Guerrero, attempted to pull Scarface off his wife when the dog began attacking him.

Police said the couple's son, 22-year-old Antoine Harris, then got a knife and stabbed the dog in the head and neck to try to stop the attack. The dog then began attacking Harris. All three were able to escape into the house, leaving the dog in the backyard.

"Officers responding said the dog was pretty aggressive," Eddy Durkin with Tampa Police said. "When they tazed the dog the dog was still pulling away and was able to release the prongs from the tazer."

When Animal Control and Tampa Police arrived to the home, the dog was shot with a tranquilizer gun. After the dog got into the house, where there were two children in the back room, officers deployed a bean bag gun and taser to subdue the dog. Eventually, the dog was captured by Animal Control by using a "catch pole."

Brenda and Ismael Guerrero were both taken to a hospital to be treated for their injuries. Brenda Guerrero's injuries are believed to be serious, though not life threatening.

Neighbors said the family just got the dog about a month ago. They said at times Scarface would get out of the yard and run through the neighborhood.

"You got kids here, kids there, and if that dog gets out the gate it could be dangerous to a kid," Joe Montgomery said. "But he never attacked no one on the street as far as I know."

At this point, it is unclear what will happen to Scarface.